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Ebay - Combining postage ?

Hi all,

Moving house and having a bit of a clearout, so i recently got back into selling on Ebay - So far i have mainly been listing Vinyl singles from the Punk / New Wave era , which have been selling pretty well, until my latest listings it has been different buyers for each single, so straight forward stuff, been posting them in proper cardboard mailers....

Latest listing  - one buyer has "won" auctions on 3 of the singles, and is winning on another which finishes in a day or so ( had to relist that one hence the time difference )

Buyer not paid yet which is not a problem as i assume they are waiting to see outcome of the ongoing auction, but whats the "etiquette " for combining postage ?  Do i message them or vice versa ?  and how do you actually sort out the "new" invoice ?   Its probably pretty simple, but i'm a bit rusty on Ebay stuff.

Thanks  !
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Comments

  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 72,945 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    I usually contact buyer and say that I will combine postage on any auctions bought within a 3 day period if they request a combined invoice before payment. (My automatic cancellation kicks in on day 4 hence the 3 day deadline). If it gets close to the 4 days then I send a combined invoice anyway with an note explaining that my sales are automatically cancelled on day 4 if not paid but I have combined the postage on the items already purchased.

    I base my new invoice on both weight size and value of the new bundle. 
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • GadgetGuru
    GadgetGuru Posts: 768 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Once the buyer has everything they want, you can send an invoice from any one of the sales, and it will automatically show the other items that the buyer has purchased and not yet paid for. You can then edit the postage cost here and send a revised invoice. 
    May be an idea to contact the buyer first and get him/her to wait for the revised invoice though, just in case they decide to pay and end up with a higher combined postage cost (although if they do this could could just refund the difference too)
  • tightauldgit
    tightauldgit Posts: 2,628 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Second Anniversary Name Dropper

    I generally just wait to be asked. I've had people buy multiple items and just make payment in full for both. I've had people ask for combined postage and then I generally will offer something.

    The thing to remember is that its not always the case that posting 2 items is as cheap as posting 1 item - by the time you've insured for the extra value and covered the weight sometimes it's hardly any cheaper at all. so make sure youre not costing yourself money.

  • deejaybee
    deejaybee Posts: 901 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper

    Thanks for the feedback everyone, appreciated . The buyer just paid for all the stuff anyway this time, but at least i know how to sort it out next time.

  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 72,945 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper

    If buyer has paid seperate postage on each item or postage in full then don't send in one package as you might get negative feedback. If you do want to send altogether then I would normally send a partial refund and tell the buyer that I am posting together and have refunded part of the p and P .

    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • HampshireH
    HampshireH Posts: 4,679 Forumite
    Seventh Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper

    I have just bought 2 items from one seller. I messaged about combined postage. Didn't get a reply so bought them as only 1 available and didn't want to miss it, added in the payment notes a request to refund extra p&p if they are happy to combine.

    I still didn't get a response but they did refund which was good.

    They were both buy it now and so no option to delay payment pending modified invoice (if there was I didn't see it)

  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 72,945 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper

    virtually all my items are BIN so I often have to refund amounts if I post together. I occasionally miss the fact that it is a repeat buyer, even with eBay putting 'repeat buyer' by the sale, and items go out seperately .

    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • hermante
    hermante Posts: 580 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 3 May 2023 at 3:44AM

    In the past when I looked at my account and saw that a buyer had won multiple items, I used to send a combined invoice straight away.

    However sometimes the buyers managed to pay within 5 seconds of the auction ending and I wouldn't even have time to send a combined invoice. This was for auctions which ended within a few minutes of each other.

    So I decided to hold off and waited 1-2 days before sending a combined invoice. 80% of the time the buyers pay very quickly, but I will still post them in one package, so I get more money. Nobody has ever complained and nobody leaves feedback (I only get feedback for approx 1 in 10 sales now).

    My account allows buyers to request a combined invoice or message me. In all my listings I state I will combine postage "indefinitely" if you ask (I think ebay limit is 2 months). I would certainly refund if someone paid double or more postage and asked, but nobody has ever asked.

    The most I've ever had is 6 items which all fit into a large letter and was still under 100g. It was £1.05 each, so the buyer paid £6.30 and left a glowing feedback comment on all the items.

    Also I just remembered an incident from about 15 years ago… a buyer messaged me to saying not to combine, and actually increase the postage charge, as they wanted me to get more money as they thought my starting price was too low!!

  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 72,945 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper

    I'm just not comfortable with massively over charging for postage. Yes I'll cover my packing and eBay fees, but I don't want to make excessive profit on postage and prefer to reimburse where I can, within reason. I probably wouldn't bother for instance where I sell 2 under 100g items that combine to over 100g as there's not a great deal in it.


    Also, your 2 months suggestion can't work, you can't open an unpaid after 30 days (I think it's still 30 days) and there's absolutely no way I'm having my stuff hanging around for months once it's sold, I like it out the door . That's why I have an automatic 4 day cancellation on my sales, no payment in 4 days and sale is cancelled automatically by eBay due to buyer non payment and buyer gets a strike.

    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the eBay, Auctions, Car Boot & Jumble Sales, Boost Your Income, Praise, Vents & Warnings, Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning , UK Holidays, Days Out & Entertainments boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know.. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • prowla
    prowla Posts: 13,616 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper

    It's perfectly acceptable to ask for combined postage, especially if shipping multiple items costs the same as one.

    (Unless items are pre-packaged for shipping.)

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